Virginia Ocken

NE Artist of the Year 2012–2013

Virginia spotted some horses near her Council Bluffs, Iowa, home. Two white horses on Cathy Lane appeared like apparitions in the hills. The spirit of their horse-friendship has been captured in Virginia’s acrylic painting, Dinner Date. “The two horses seemed so comfortable and close, they would graze and spend their days, always just inches from each other,” Virginia mused.

Virginia received her Bachelor of Fine Arts, K-12 Education, and Master degrees from the University of Nebraska. Retired from teaching school, her artistic passion remains the figure in space. She reminisced about her childhood drawing horses and how Degas’ sculpture, “The Little Ballerina”, influenced her art career. Virginia now returns to her love for horses. Her art works are displayed at Artists Cooperative Gallery in Omaha, Nebraska, www.artistsco-opgallery.com.